Political Scene: Americans Elect wants to see bipartisan national ticket

Monday

Oct 17, 2011 at 12:01 AM

Cicilline

By Philip Marcelo | | Journal State House Bureau

Cicilline

A national group seeking to select a bipartisan presidentialticket made its official debut in Rhode Island last week.

Americans Elect held a brief meeting at Brown University'sTaubman Center for Public Policy on Thursday night attended byabout 15 people. Pizza, wings and soda were available and aJapanese news crew was on hand to cover the occasion.

Kathryn Cantwell, Northeast regional director for the nonprofitorganization, used the half-hour gathering to explain the conceptbehind Americans Elect, which continues to garner nationalattention since formally establishing its bylaws in July.

The group hopes to get on the ballot in all 50 states, with theaim of nominating a presidential ticket during a two-week onlineconvention next June. (According to news reports, it has so farsecured a spot on the ballot in Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Nevada,Kansas and Alaska).

Americans Elect's CEO is Kahlil Byrd, who served Democrat DevalPatrick on both his successful campaign for Massachusetts governorin 2006 and in his administration. It has its roots in Unity08, anow-defunct effort to elect a third-party presidential candidatefor the 2008 election that was founded by Democratic PresidentJimmy Carter's chief of staff, Hamilton Jordan, and others.

But Cantwell, a graduate student at Brown University who helpedKenneth Block run the Moderate Party's first political campaigns inRhode Island last year, stresses that the organization is not athird party. It has no ties to any political group and does notpromote any ideology or candidate.

Indeed, as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, Americans Elect can legallyadvocate for social-welfare causes, but cannot make politicalcampaigns its primary activity. At the same time, it is not subjectto federal campaign-finance laws, and its donors are largelyanonymous. (The group says it is not funded by political actioncommittees, special-interest groups or lobbyists.)

"It is a second nominating process," Cantwell told attendees."This is meant to be your process, your issues and your candidates.This is not a top-down group dictating how you should feel aboutthings."

Cantwell says Americans Elect is open to any qualified candidateand any registered voter.

But prospective candidates may not be running on a major-partyticket when they are nominated, and their running mate must be froma political party other than their own, she said.

Voters can participate in both their political party's primaryand the Americans Elect process, which also includes developing thequestions that all candidates must answer, said Cantwell.

"What I love about the process is that it is not telling peoplehow to think about the issues," she said after the meeting. "It isgiving them an opportunity to have their voice heard and have animpact on the election."

When attendees wondered what impact this nominating processwould have on the prospects for the Democratic and Republican Partynominees, Cantwell pointed to last year's three-way governor's racein Rhode Island, where she said voters turned out in large numbersbecause they believed that their vote counted.

"Competition is a good thing," Cantwell said. "It is a traditionto have two parties duke it out, but that does not mean it iswhat's best for the American people. We have 57 varieties ofketchup, but we have 'A' and 'B' for the most important office inthe country. It is math and logic that just does not add up."

In the coming months, Cantwell says the group hopes to get moreparticipants or "delegates" enlisted in Rhode Island. And while thefocus right now is on a presidential ticket, Cantwell says themodel could eventually be expanded to other races.

"The data we are gathering and the technology that we aredeveloping will impact future elections from now on in a veryhistoric way."

Cicilline builds war chest

Fresh off a hefty third-quarter fundraising haul, U.S. Rep.David N. Cicilline was back on the money trail this Columbus Dayweekend.

The freshman Democrat, who is up for reelection in 2012, pulledin more than $8,000 from the more than 220 people who attended abarbeque at 12 Acres in Smithfield on Sunday, Oct. 9, according toCicilline spokeswoman Nicole Kayner.

U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse addressed thecrowd, which included about 150 Democratic Party leaders named asmembers of the event's host committee, as well as four of RhodeIsland's five general office holders.

According to a letter sent out by the Cicilline campaign, Reedsaid: "He has come into one of the most difficult situations youcan ever encounter - as a member of the minority. He comes to thatsituation with great intelligence, great integrity and greatdetermination - we are extremely fortunate to have David there. Heis making us all proud of what he is doing in Washington."

Kayner, who served on Cicilline's 2010 campaign as a deputycampaign manager and is currently acting as campaign spokeswoman,said the barbecue donations will count toward Cicilline's totalsfor the reporting period from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. The congressmanraised approximately $202,000 in the quarter ending Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, Cicilline received preliminary approval from theWoonsocket City Council last week to rent space in City Hall foranother satellite district office.

Congressional office spokeswoman Raymonde Charles says Cicillinehopes to open the office, which would provide constituent services,next month, once he gets final approval from the council.

Cicilline's main district office is in Pawtucket, and herecently opened a satellite office in Newport City Hall.

New Chamber post for Stenhouse

Former Gov. Donald L. Carcieri's director of communityrelations, Sue Stenhouse, has been named director of membershippromotion at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, thestate's largest business-advocacy group.

The newly created position will have her helping members promotetheir business or organization. She will also be responsible forthe design, development and content for the chamber's website andsocial-media forums.

Stenhouse had previously served as the chamber's interimdirector of communications this summer.

Accidental moments in Occupy movement

Providence City Council research analyst Nicholas Freeman foundhimself this month briefly serving as spokesman of sorts for OccupyProvidence, the local offshoot of the Occupy Wall Streetmovement.

Freeman has been a regular face in the crowd that has gatheredat Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence these past two weeks.

At one point, a Journal photo captured him addressing attendees.Later, Freeman talked to WPRO radio's Matt Allen about the localmovement.

But Freeman, a Providence native whose father, Robert E.Freeman, was executive director of the downtown advocacy group theProvidence Foundation, says he's not expecting to take on anygreater responsibilities within the movement.

"Just accidentally, I have gotten way more exposure on thisthing than I expected to," he said. "I don't want to take thespotlight from all these people that are doing really hard work onthis. … I did my one radio thing, and now I'm ready to cycleout. Let the next person talk about it. I don't want thespotlight."

And speaking of WPRO and the Occupy movement, WPRO reporter BobPlain tweeted that he was among those arrested last week whenBoston police ordered a crowd of participants in the Occupy Bostonmovement to disperse.

Plain reported that the charges against him were ultimatelydropped because he was on assignment for the radio station. "Thosecuffs were on tight," he tweeted.

Elections board rethinks parties list

The state Board of Elections has posted notice of a Nov. 8hearing to consider changing the state's voter registration formback to listing approved political parties in the state.

State Board of Elections Executive Director Robert Kando saysthe board might even take a vote to approve the changes afterhearing testimony.

The list of parties had been removed from the forms last year,when Rhode Island recognized the newly formed Moderate Party as thestate's third political party.

In a move that went mostly unnoticed at the time, the boardremoved the list to save money on new printings each time apolitical party was added or removed.

In its place, the form gave registrants the option of filling ina blank box with their chosen party affiliation or"unaffiliated."

Led by Moderate Party Chairman Kenneth Block, proponents ofrevising the form again have said a list of the state's recognizedparties is important to let voters know what their options are.

The public can submit written comments to the board from nowuntil the hearing, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. at theboard's office at 50 Branch Ave. in Providence. The proposal isavailable on the Board of Elections website.

pmarcelo@providencejournal.com

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